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Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Greek Chicken Burgers with Tzatziki

A friend of mine recently recommended this Weight Watchers recipe for Greek Chicken Burgers with Tzatziki. I've renamed it because I left out the jalapeno (which makes it spicy) and used chicken instead of turkey.

I also subbed parsley for the cilantro because I've found that when I buy cilantro most of it goes to waste because I can't use it in other recipes the way I can with parsley. Use whichever herb you prefer. I ground my own chicken (directions below) since I usually have frozen chicken in the freezer and it takes almost no effort to make my own ground chicken at home. I also swapped the tzatziki recipe for the one I use for the Chicken Gyros.

Since the burgers are rather wet and sticky once they're formed, I wrapped each individually in wax paper and froze them for a few hours so they'd be easier to handle. You don't want them frozen solid, so make sure to only freeze them for 3 hours max and take them out at least an hour before you're going to cook them so they have a chance to thaw slightly.

I served the burgers in pocketless pita with sliced cucumber, tomato and red onion. Delicious!

Combine the turkey, zucchini, onion, cilantro/parsley, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl until well mixed. Shape into 4 patties. Wrap each patty individually in waxed paper and put in the freezer for up to 3 hours. Allow to thaw slightly before cooking.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet (or cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook until golden and cooked through, about 12 minutes, turning the burgers halfway through and adding the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan after turning them.

To make the tzatziki sauce, peel and seed the cucumber. Shred the cucumber and then squeeze in a towel to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice. Salt to taste. Refrigerate overnight, if possible, or at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.

Serve the chicken burgers in pita with sliced tomato, cucumber and red onion, with a dollop of tzatziki.

* To make your own ground chicken, chop partially frozen chicken breasts into small pieces and put in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until coarsely chopped.

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